Osman sets an exemplary example

MIM Speaks
By ISA ISMAIL

WHILE most civil servants today only make it to the pinnacle of their careers just before retirement, Tan Sri Osman Samsuddin Cassim was given great responsibility much earlier. In 1966, the current Malaysian Institute of Management’s vice president was appointed Secretary-General for the then Labour Ministry at the age of 36.

“Today, you probably become Secretary-General around the age of 50,” says Osman.

Soft-spoken and cordial, Osman studied at Anderson School at his hometown in Ipoh up to 1948 when he passed his Senior Cambridge exams at the age of 19.

ROLE MODEL: Osman always put duty before self.

After a brief stint at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Osman went on to major in geography at Universiti Malaya in Singapore. He joined the Malayan Civil Service in 1955.

Osman was one of the many bright young men groomed to take over from the expatriate managers in the civil service at the time. The last of the expatriate officers finally left the MCS in 1962.

In 1956, Osman joined the Interior and Justice Ministry as assistant principal secretary. This ministry was later merged with the Internal Security Ministry to form the Home Affairs Ministry in 1966.

Ten years into his career, he was promoted to Secretary-General of the Labour Ministry. The drafting of Malaysia’s Social Security (Socso) law was done at the Labour Ministry during this time under Osman’s watch. Later, he was appointed Secretary-General of the Information Ministry and Home Affairs Ministry in 1970 and 1975 respectively.

Osman’s last posting in the civil service was as Director General of the Public Services Department (JPA) between 1980 and 1985.

Upon retirement, he joined the private sector and was appointed Country Manager for GE Corp in 1985. In his corporate life, he is best remembered as the former independent non-executive chairman of Southern Bank.

Among newsmen, Osman is best remembered for his role in the hostage-taking incident in 1975 that involved 10 Japanese Red Army terrorists who stormed the American International Assurance building on Jalan Ampang.

Osman was one of four envoys who had to take the place of the hostages so that the terrorists could fly out of Malaysia safely. It was an experience that Osman would have preferred to avoid. He had had a heart problem a few years earlier and he also had a young family that would have been fatherless should the worse have happened.

Placing personal interests aside, Osman was an exemplary role model of the dedicated civil servant putting duty before self. After registering his preference not to accompany the terrorists, Osman said to his boss, then Home Affairs Minister Tun Ghazali Shafie: “If this is what the Government requires of me, then I shall go (with the terrorists).”

Osman returned home safely after spending almost 62 mind-numbing hours on the plane.

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